Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews where I share short reviews of books I’ve read. For today I’ll be sharing my review of
The Grownup
by Gillian Flynn
My Review
After reading and loving all of the twisted mystery in Gone Girl, I was thrilled to win this wicked little ghost story by Gillian Flynn in a giveaway.
You never learn the name of the narrator. Her story is sad, her job a dirty one, and you can’t blame her when she tries to break away from it. What’s a little harmless fraud. No real victims. Or so she thinks.
She jumps at the chance to help Susan, a rich, desperate woman, with claims of a horrible haunting at her Victorian mansion. Our narrator walks into something she couldn’t imagine in her worst nightmares.
I was shocked right from the beginning. This author doesn’t fail to grab you by the shirt and pull you right into the story. She has you thinking a character deserves sympathy, can be trusted. Then she drops little bombs and has you backtracking, rethinking your feelings.
At just over 60 pages, I was thrilled with how well executed this taut little horror went. The mystery of what is really going on sets you back on your heels. The creep factor is off the scales. And you’ll never see the ending coming.
Reminded me of an episode I watched on Twilight Zone.
A great nibble of twisted mystery to tide you over between Gillian’s novels.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the “psychic” visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.
The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!
My 56 for this week is from
Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover’s Soul
Stories about pets as teachers, healers, heroes and friends
by Multiple Authors
Genre: Non-fiction, animals, short stories
My 56 from the paperback.
“I’m a mechanic and a welder,” he said. “But there’s nothing out here for either. I’ve looked and looked. These dogs are my family; I hate to have to sell them, but I just can’t afford to feed them.”
He kept saying it over and over. He didn’t want to sell them, but he couldn’t afford to feed them. An awful look came over his face every time he repeated it. It was as if he might have to give up a child.
This man is living with his two dogs in the back of his truck, covered by a camper shell.
Read on if you want to know more.
My Review
How do I review this amazing book?
I laughed. I cried. My heart ached, and filled with joy.
Many people contributed to this wonderful collection. They share their tales of rescue, healing, unconditional love, and letting go.
Heroes of all shapes and sizes roam these pages, both animal and human.
It’s a large book yet it reads fast. The chapters are short, most are two to three pages, and there are some fun cartoons scattered throughout.
I can’t urge you strongly enough to read this book. It’s now found a permanent home on my coffee table. I pick it up often. Open to a random page. And read again.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
Animals bring out the goodness, humanity and optimism in people and speak directly to our souls. This joyous, inspiring and entertaining Chicken Soup collection relates the unique bonds between animals and the people whose lives they’ve changed. Such as the dolphins who helped a paralyzed woman heal when doctors offered little hope; the dog who brought life into a failing marriage; the kitten who helped a mother mourn; and the flying squirrel who taught a man the power of laughter. Packed with celebrity pet-lore, Chicken Soup for the Soul relates the unconditional love, loyalty, courage and companionship that only animals possess. Just like our furry, feathered and four-legged friends, this enchanting book will bring a smile to any pet lover’s face … and it’s housebroken
Gone by Midnight Genre – Cozy Mystery Print Length: 149 pages Publisher: J. Lavene (February 2, 2016) ASIN: B019AJC1XU
My Review
How fun. A bunch of short stories from two of my favorite cozy mystery authors. I’ve had plans to read all of their books from every series and I’m working on that. Then these new ones pop up and I have to read them immediately. LOL
What’s a cozy without some quirky characters and a dead body or two. Plenty of that here.
And there’s even some elements of fantasy, paranormal. How cool is that!
I won’t play favorites in this collection but some stood out more than others. Especially those paranormal ones. Love a good ghost tale.
If you’ve not read these authors before, this is a good taste of their writing. Be forewarned, you won’t be able to stop at these.
And for those who’ve read Joyce and Jim’s cozies before, you’ll gobble up these short treats. New and old characters abound, many you’ll recognize. And all of them are fast and fun reads.
Grab your copy. Start from the beginning, or hop around and start anywhere. It’s all good fun from these wonderful authors.
4 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
Fans of Joyce and Jim Lavene will thrill at this collection of thirteen short stories—many are set in the worlds of their national bestselling mystery series, including the Missing Pieces Mysteries, the Renaissance Faire Mysteries, the Retired Witches Mysteries, and an upcoming mystery novel!
These stories contain the elements of mystery and fantasy the Lavenes are famous for, as well as some new things their readers have never seen. Several stories feature characters interacting with ghosts, magic, and the supernatural—the healing woman in “Courtship;” the Civil War widow in “One with the Darkness;” the city girl who summons a wizard from the past in “The Magician and the Sorceress/Accountant;” and the young introvert in “Aunt Edna” who finds her calling with help from a ghostly visitor.
Poignant, charming, and captivating, Joyce and Jim Lavene bring their characteristic wit and heart to these stories and introduce each one with a passage about its origin or how it ties into the universe they’ve created. Gone by Midnight is a treasury of tales that will delight the mind and touch the heart from one of the most prolific writing duos of our time.
Authors Joyce and Jim Lavene
Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.
The holidays are fast approaching and what could be more fun than a Christmas vampire!
Anthony has his short story, A Vampire At Christmas, free on Amazon December 10th and 11th and 19th thru 21st!
Click on the links provided to get your copy.
Go!
My Review
I reviewed this a while ago. Since then Anthony has done some revisions. A little more of this and a little more of that and it’s even better and I already gave it 5 Stars before.
The best thing is he gave his vampire a name.
Introducing Talan Gawayn. I love the name. Sounds like something from a long ago era. A proper vampire name.
Now here’s my review for the earlier edition.
The story opens in a tomb. All is calm. All is bright. The little Christmas tree in the corner casts a dazzling display reflecting off of the large coffin.
If you put your ear right up against the coffin, you might hear Jimmy Buffet singing Margaritaville. This handsome vampire loves being a vampire, loves Christmas, and is a fan of the southern artist and has been to many of his concerts. His powers enable him to fly to any location and blend into the shadows to enjoy the the shows.
He’s been waiting 364 days for this night and he grabs his bag of goodies and heads out. But first he must feed.
The beginning is different now. It opens with how Talan became a vampire and it’s a chilling scene.
When he was a new vampire he killed at random. But after many years and witnessing the miracle of Christmas, the warmth and cheer of it, he became more selective. Only killing those who deserved it.
I am amazed at the power of this character with the story being just over 20 pages.
He coldly stalks and consumes his prey, yet he’s also gleeful and excited, like a child. He really gets into the Christmas spirit and spreads hope and joy. Not to his prey, of course, but to those who are in need.
I live in the south and have seen Jimmy Buffet in concert. Been to his restaurant. Met him a few times. While I was reading this story, I hummed Margaritaville and thought, this vampire would like it here.
5 Stars
~~~~~
(Revised and Updated 2015) A short story about a Vampire who uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season.
Talan Gawayn became a vampire in the 15th century on a cold, starry, full-moon night just after the first big snow of November. He was walking a less traveled path, on his way home from seeing his fiancé, whom he planned to marry the following spring, when three men stepped out of the shadows to rob him. He fought them at first, but they soon overpowered him, beat him ruthlessly, laughing as they did it, drunk and looking for someone to rob. They had found it in Talan who was so hopelessly in love he hadn’t seen them sneak up on him.
While he lay there in the snow dying from his injuries, one eye shut and swollen, the other able to see only a blurry vision, he thought he saw something, something moving quick and fast. The men who had beaten him were counting out their stolen money when this thing attacked them. It tore through their flesh, ripped out their throats savagely; and didn’t just drain the robbers of their precious blood, but this thing seemed to almost be bathing in it while it fed.
Talan tried to stay focused, tried to see what this thing was, but his will gave out and his good eye closed. He passed out into an injured slumber.
I’ve read all of Anthony’s books so you could say I’m a fan!
And I’m so stoked he is offering his books in print now. I can’t wait to get my hands on all of them.
I’ll let Anthony take it from here!
I know it isn’t the most grandest of designs, but it gets the colors and mood right for the Thanksgiving holiday. I honestly love simple covers like this. I think that these days people let all these fancy software tools throw up all over their covers. Most of them look cheap or too busy because of it. Sometimes simple is much catchier.
Anyway, this is a long short story turned into a small quirky novel. If you prefer paper and have wanted to read it then now is your chance. I’ve included A Vampire at Christmas as a bonus short story for this one. So you not only get one short story, but two.
They say the holidays are no longer celebrated because of the zombie apocalypse.
Try telling that to Dawn. All she wants is to bring a little bit of normalcy into their lives. To remind them they are human, that they are still alive, that there is hope.
Guns and knife in hand, Dawn sets off to the grocery store to see if she can find a turkey. I know, this sounds nuts. But people get desperate for the old days, the easy days.
As Dawn stumbles over dead bodies and crashed, abandoned vehicles, she inevitably runs across some shufflers. She takes care of them coldly, efficiently. This is the new way of life.
Meanwhile, back at the safe place, George is handed a note by another survivor in their group. It appears Dawn has left to get food. Fool girl. Doesn’t she know there are zombies out there. What is so important she’d risk this by herself?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow the author had me feeling the warmth of Thanksgiving. Even As Dawn and George fought off the ravenous zombies that want them for dinner.
Dawn’s fierce determination has me adding her to my list of top female protagonists. She’s not going to stop until she finds that bird!
And George is just as determined. Determined to find Dawn and get her safely back where she belongs. All limbs attached. I liked how his initial frustration turned to alpha male, to lover, as he set out to find her.
I had my fingers and toes crossed for these two. The ending was not set in stone just because it’s Thanksgiving. Maybe the zombies got a nice dinner. Nobody told them they don’t celebrate the holiday.
5 Stars
~~~~~
Synopsis
(Revised and Updated 2015) A short story about a woman who risks life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to keep the Thanksgiving tradition alive.
Bonus Short Story: A Vampire at Christmas
A short story about a Vampire who uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season.
Most of you know of my love affair with horror. LOL
Well, I have some fantastic news. Anthony Renfro is celebrating Halloween in a big way.
Looking for something to read for Halloween? I’ve read all of these and can assure you, they fit the bill.
AND THEY ARE FREE! Yep, You heard me correctly.
Get your scare on ya’ll!
This: Straight to you from Anthony!!!
I decided to giveaway my “Halloween” related stories for free this week. Check out the schedule below if you want to add some spooky to your haunted holiday this season. After this, be on the lookout for my holiday themed horror stories most of which will be running free off and on from November through December.
Click on the covers to grab yours!
The Living Sand: October 27-31
Joyride: October 27-31
Killer Treads, Demon Energy, and Need to Feed: October 29-31
That’s it.
Happy Halloween!
~~~~
What? Are you still here? Get over there and grab your copies!
With Halloween fast approaching, I’ve amassed a bunch of creepy stories to share with you.
Recently I showcased several books I won from Michael Phillip Cash and I asked you to help me choose which order I should review them in.
The Flip was the top choice and you can read my review HERE.
Next up was The After House. Check out my review HERE.
Third up was The Hanging Tree. Check out my review HERE.
And now for Brood X.
Come on in and get your scare on!
Brood X
My Review
I swear I was itching all over after reading this book. I’m not crazy about bugs and Brood X are huge cicadas.
I’m sure you’ve heard them in the summer, calling each other from tree to tree. They can get so loud it drives you indoors.
A lot of the people in Long Island heeding the warnings and packed up, heading to somewhere safe until the outbreak is over. The cicadas, Brood X, are due to hatch and they’ll number in the trillions.
Some people scoff and say it’s just bugs. Well, try this. Hold out your hand. Now picture a cicada as long as that hand. Have you ever seen one up close. They’re not pretty. And though they aren’t known to bite, the bugs don’t know that.
One bite from these buggers is excruciating. Imagine a swarm covering your body. And the females are the worst. They have stingers, and will try to lay their eggs in any available orifice.
So, in the beginning. Seth and his pregnant wife aren’t leaving. He blows it all off as nonsense. This didn’t sit well with me. What if it gets bad? No water. No electricity. No one to rescue them. And his wife is very pregnant. He came off as selfish and and a boor. I never did warm up to him.
And sure enough, things get really bad. The neighborhood is unrecognizable. It’s coated with crawling cicadas. They are clogging up the water supply. Chewing through the electric wires. And are so thick you can’t see to drive, even if you dared to go outside.
This story moves quickly. It doesn’t take long for you to get to know the characters and once the cicadas enter the tale things go bad fast. You’ll think of this book whenever you hear a cicada’s call.
Are you itching yet?
4 Stars
Synopsis
Seth is laid off from work. His wife Lara just found out they are expecting a baby this summer. Seth plans on documenting the entire pregnancy with his brand new digital camcorder.
During an evening home watching television, the news reports that a swarm of cicada (Brood Ten) are expected to overwhelm the entire Northeast.
Brood Ten is vicious and ready to invade.
During a sweltering summer night, Brood Ten emerges and wreaks havoc with the electric grid, phone and cell service, wi-fi, food and water supply. Civilization as they know it is gone.
Seth and Lara are thrown back to the stone age in their own home with trillions of cicada trying to deposit their eggs and breed.
Fast paced and filled with tension, Brood Ten is the perfect summer read when you’re sitting outside listening to the cicadas sing.
Click on the cover to get your copy.
~~~~~
EXTRA! EXTRA!
And I have one more I want to squeeze in before Halloween is over.
I’ve read all of Anthony Renfros’ stories and I’m thrilled to share his newest collection with you.
***And Anthony has a giveaway on Goodreads.***
Go HEREand scroll down for a chance to win a print copy!
Nightlight Tales
My Review
It’s been my pleasure to read all of Anthony’s stories and now he has gathered them together in one volume.
I’d love to share my reviews of each story individually but that would be one huge review. So I’ll tease you instead.
Looking for some scary good reads?
From demon possession to fanatics.
From a cave dwelling monster to a haunted house.
From zombies to she devils.
There’s daylight vampires and sunrise werewolves.
And all things haunted and beastly.
There are plenty of ways to get your fright on in these pages.
These stories, spun from Anthony’s imagination, will fill you with wonder and hope and the darkness beyond.
Lots of action. Lots of suspense. Well developed characters. And terrific plots. There’s something for everyone in this collection.
5 Stars
~~~~
Synopsis
13 tales of terror.
13 tales that will have you reaching for the nightlight before you go to bed tonight.
The stories in this chilling collection are as follows.
1. The Man from the Road: A man suddenly appears on a road. He’s lost, confused, no clue as to how he got there. He starts to walk and stops suddenly. There’s a bonfire in a field nearby. He sees people dancing around this fire. They are performing some kind of ritual. He turns to flee, but he’s captured. No chance of escape. He hopes he is only dreaming, because all of this seems a bit too real.
2. The Living Sand: Two boys discover a hidden beach and the evil deadly secrets that lie within its soft white grains of sand.
3. SHe: A monster stalks the city of Tampa Bay. This monster is only attacking women taking only the one thing it needs. Tim Roberts, a detective, is hot on this monster’s trail. Will he catch this monster in time or will this monster feed until it has its fill? Be careful Tim, this monster has a secret yet to be revealed.
4. A Zombie Christmas: Three men risk life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to bring happiness to surviving kids on Christmas Morning.
5. Need to Feed: Another year. Another massacre looming. When the sun rises on the Old West town of Saltwater Junction this town will face head on two fierce predators. Vampires who stalk you in the sunlight and werewolves that transform with the sunrise. This short story rewrites the legends and all you’ve ever known about these creatures of the night. Where do you go when there’s no place left to hide?
6. A Haunted House Tale: Five college students on Halloween night set out to discover the secrets of the town’s most infamous haunted house. Will these students live to see the morning or will this house claim five more victims?
7. A Zombie Thanksgiving: A woman risks life and limb in a Zombie Apocalypse in order to keep the Thanksgiving tradition alive.
8. Sandy and The Stranger: A road racing champion meets his match in the form of a stranger who may or may not be the ghost of James Dean himself.
9. Demon Energy: A short story about 1 man possessed and tormented by a 1000 demons who must fight for a soul he is starting to lose. Will he ever find salvation or is his body now an eternal host of hell?
10. Killer Treads: A short story about a man who sees a flashy ad online advertising a twenty dollar treadmill. He buys the machine, too cheap to be scared, and realizes much to his dismay that this machine has a taste for blood. Big Bob better run like his life depends on it because in many ways it does.
11. A Zombie New Year’s Eve: Becky and Joe are separated in a Zombie Apocalypse and risk life and limb in order to reunite for their New Year’s Eve kiss.
12. Joyride: A Joyride in a Chevy Chevelle. The car was just sitting there for the taking. What could possibly go wrong? Vinnie and Mike are about to find out what can and will go wrong once they turn the key. Evil awaits.
13. A Vampire at Christmas: A Vampire uses his riches and immortal skills to bring joy to those in need during the Christmas Season.
Click on the cover to get your copy.
~~~~
You can click on the covers below to read my reviews.
Be sure to stop back by for next Saturday’s choice.
Most of you know how much I love short stories and collections.
I have some fun ones to share with you today!
RJ Sullivan’s Darkness With a Chance of Whimsy Blog Tour
My Review
Short stories and collections are like a cornucopia of snacks for me. And I binged with these.
There are ten stories in this collection. Some are flash fiction, super short. And then there are some longer ones. All of them made me ‘think.’
Since they are short stories, I can’t really say much without spoilers. Instead I’ll give you some snippets from my head.
If you were offered the chance to see inside your loved ones head and find out how they see you, if they really love you, would you? Should you?
Never, ever put on strange head gear. Especially if your father invents psychic gizmos.
Good cop, better cop? Split the difference? This was such a strange, twisted tale and my favorite in the collection.
How an infant’s memory can get so twisted out of whack. I had to laugh at the ending.
Two young lovers and a second chance angel.
A computer that makes you smart? I’ll take one, please.
Sometimes it’s better not to keep a secret.
It’s true. The past should stay in the past.
Just how big is the universe and what cause the Big Bang?
The last story and my second favorite. What you get when you cross a vampire with a…..
All of these were great. All of them made me think. While they’re short in words, those words were strongly written.
You’ll zip through this collection in no time and reach the end feeling a bit out there. Take a step into the outof.
5 Stars
Book Synopsis for Darkness With a Chance of Whimsy
Collected for the first time since their initial publications, Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy presents ten tales from the imagination of R.J. Sullivan. Thrills and chills await you, but you may also get blindsided by the absurd. This volume includes a pair of stories featuring Rebecca Burton, the mysterious investigator of R.J.’s acclaimed paranormal thriller series. Among the ten stories, you’ll find:
“The Assurance Salesman” shows five strangers more about themselves than they ever guessed.
You don’t want to venture into Daddy’s basement in “Fade.”
Rebecca Burton tries to talk someone out of a bad idea in “Backstage Pass.”
A bullied police detective finally defeats his rival in “Able-Bodied.”
A desperate father finds the “Inner Strength” to save his young daughter, “Becky” Burton.
A child seeds his aquarium with a most unusual “Starter Kit.”
A brilliant robotics engineer creates a “Robot Vampire.”
About the author: R.J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second part of Fiona’s tale. The short stories in this collection have been featured in such acclaimed anthologies as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His next book due out very soon will be Commanding the Red Lotus, which collects the series of science fiction novelettes in the tradition of Andre Norton and Gene Roddenberry.
R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks regularly from a Little Mermaid coffee mug and is man enough to admit it. www.rjsullivanfiction.com
Looking for something to read now that the holidays are fast approaching?
Here’s a quickie that’ll wet your appetite. And it’s free!
Scroll down for an excerpt and how to get your copy.
A message and excerpt from Anthony Renfro
There it is. The brand new cover for A Zombie Thanksgiving. I know it isn’t the holidays yet, but now is the time to grab yourself a free copy. I want to thank Pixabay for the image and Empire of the Claw for the font. I also want to send a special shout out to Laura for the Beta Read. Okay, here is the new intro. Hope you enjoy it.
Dawn stopped at the edge of the parking lot. What she saw in front of her was an apocalyptic nightmare. It was a picture of mass panic frozen in a time of chaos.
The parking lot looked like a war zone–cars burned to metal bodies, cars crashed together, cars turned over, shopping carts everywhere and in all kinds of positions, (food and supplies in these carts long since looted), and bodies, lots and lots of dead bodies. Most of them had been laying out here rotting in the hot sun for far too long, and they were now decayed and gooey, slipping back into the Earth one second at a time.
She closed her eyes, held the gold cross on a chain around her neck, prayed, and then crossed the parking lot.
She stopped when she reached the double doors that led into the grocery store. Sunlight gleamed off what was left of the glass in the frame, shards on the ground twinkled like stars. Two zombies shuffled out of the store, heading in her tasty direction. Dead things. Rotten things. Been walking around for a long time now as a corpse things. A couple of quick pops of her gun and both of them went down hard. Perfect, clean, head shots. Blood splattered ground.
Dawn looked to her left and right, back to the store in front of her, and then she turned around to make sure nothing was behind her. No other zombies shuffled about in the late fall heat, at least not from where she was standing; but there was a man, she did see a man, coming across the parking lot towards her. He stood about medium height, not too pudgy, not too thin. He had to be about 40 years old, she thought, as he put his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat.
“Who are you?” She asked, as she aimed her gun at him.
The guy looked down at her gun with the silencer on it, pointed directly at his gut. A nasty shot that would not end him instantly. “My name’s Mike, Mike Beem. You?”
“Dawn Sprig,” she replied, and paused. “Have you been following me?”
“I haven’t, just happened to see you crossing the parking lot. Thought I would walk over and see if you needed any help.”
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t, because she was terrified of being out here on her own without her boyfriend. So, she faked it the best she could. “Just need to do a little shopping. I hope my credit is still good,” she replied, smiling, hoping to ease the tension.
“Store’s probably picked over.”
“Probably, but there might be something left for the Thanksgiving Holiday,” she replied, lowering her weapon.
“I’m stuck on Christmas.”
“Any luck?”
“Some.” He paused. “You sure you don’t want me to go in with you? I can help if the store is overrun. Always nice to have back up.”
She wanted to say yes, she really did, but even though she had lowered her gun, stranger danger still popped into her mind when she looked at him. He might seem like a nice guy out here, but in there, in the dark, he could be someone totally different. “I’d rather go it alone. If you don’t mind? I’m better that way. No offense.”
“None taken. I Understand.”
“Thanks, though, for the offer.”
“Sure. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving.”
“You too, Mike.”
He made his way out of the parking lot, and Dawn took another quick scan. No zombies about, just Mike evaporating into the distance. She turned back to the store, steadied her nerves, and turned on her light (this light was on a strap that ran around her head, so she could keep her hands free). She made sure her weapons were ready to do the job they were meant to do, knife in place and gun ready to fire. She started to walk, ever so slightly, crunching on broken glass, moving from the light into the dark.
The smell inside the store wasn’t pleasant. All kinds of putrid things in a state of decay mingled and danced together in the non-air-conditioned air. Those smells were having a nice party in this tight enclosed airless space. Dawn tried to hold her breath and not breathe in too much of it, as she stopped just inside the double doors. She kneeled down in front of two bodies that were dead, flat, and squished. These bodies (elderly man and woman) looked like they had fallen down and nobody had bothered to help them up as the crowd trampled over them in a mad rush for supplies. She said a prayer for them, and then stood up. That’s when she heard it. It was a clicking sound, silent electronic keys being punched over and over again, hard to hear unless you were inside the store. She turned her light in the direction of that sound.
A quick note. Mike, the man Dawn bunps into in the parking lot, appears in A Zombie Christmas. He has quite a story to tell too.
Get A Zombie Thanksgiving free at the links below or anywhere Amazon is available.
They say the holidays are no longer celebrated because of the zombie apocalypse.
Try telling that to Dawn. All she wants is to bring a little bit of normalcy into their lives. To remind them they are human, that they are still alive, that there is hope.
Guns and knife in hand, Dawn sets off to the grocery store to see if she can find a turkey. I know, this sounds nuts. But people get desperate for the old days, the easy days.
As Dawn stumbles over dead bodies and crashed, abandoned vehicles, she inevitably runs across some shufflers. She takes care of them coldly, efficiently. This is the new way of life.
Meanwhile, back at the safe place, George is handed a note by another survivor in their group. It appears Dawn has left to get food. Fool girl. Doesn’t she know there are zombies out there. What is so important she’d risk this by herself?
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow the author had me feeling the warmth of Thanksgiving. Even As Dawn and George fought off the ravenous zombies that want them for dinner.
Dawn’s fierce determination has me adding her to my list of top female protagonists. She’s not going to stop until she finds that bird!
And George is just as determined. Determined to find Dawn and get her safely back where she belongs. All limbs attached. I liked how his initial frustration turned to alpha male, to lover, as he set out to find her.
I had my fingers and toes crossed for these two. The ending was not set in stone just because it’s Thanksgiving. Maybe the zombies got a nice dinner. Nobody told them they don’t celebrate the holiday.
Love Bites is the debut collection of short stories by Valeria Kogan. From heartbreak to redemption, Love Bites provides a spellbinding interpretation of love and friendship, glamour and guilt, secrets and deceit. Each story provides a captivating insight into the world of love; its profound impact and effect; and how women relate to their partners.
This cleverly constructed collection of short stories will leave you tantalized and yearning for more.
Creating a series of short stories seemed like the best way to write my first book, since it reassured me that I had the stamina for it, but didn’t tie me to a single narrative for its duration. I enjoyed playing with the characters and seeing how they would develop, but did try to create some symmetry among the stories so that they wouldn’t seem too disparate.
Without intending to, this resulted in a book of ‘could haves.’ I’m not sure that I intended some of the characters to be as tragic as they became, or for the impact of other people’s love to have such an impact on some of the protagonists, but, as I wrote, the stories themselves began to unravel and I felt it was more important to stay true to the characters than it was to pursue my own idea of what the story should be.
I examined the characters using myself and people I knew as a basis (sometimes blatantly, and other times only borrowing elements of a personality), so the book functioned as an alternate plane for relationships. In some way, I think my own relationship has elements of some of the stories without being taken to the same extremes. While I’m not entirely adverse to ‘traditional’ relationships, there don’t appear to be many in the book. This wasn’t a completely unconscious decision, but I like the idea of finding love in unexpected places. I also disagree with the notion of needing to have a particular kind of life, even if it doesn’t make you happy. I’m aware that some of my characters could be seen as morally dubious and it was not my intention to shock. These were the characters based on friends, who are wonderfully ‘normal’ people, who happen to do things that aren’t quite so normal, but are brave enough to pursue their own happiness without feeling constrained by other people’s expectations.
In the end, it is a book about love… even if it’s about leaving some loves behind to find others.
Silent
As a faded coastal town, Llandudno was an apt place for misery; once standing proudly on the northern Welsh beaches, it corroded slowly from its Victorian splendor to become a town populated by those who remembered it in better days, and those who were too tired to leave. Or at least people who could not find the opportunity to do so. It was a town filled with nothing but second-hand stores and bars, which waited in their bland decor for the weekends when they would be filled with drunken teens and women past their prime, maybe an unromantic version of those one-horse towns everybody talked about. Naturally, when somebody exceptional lived in a place like this they were easily noticed.
Carla was not only noticed, but was also resented by many; leaving for university was almost unforgivable in the eyes of some of her school friends, who secretly understood that she possessed a methodical charm that they would never master. Of course, it was never phrased that way; usually, just accusations of thinking too much of herself, or believing she was better than the people surrounding her. She was not necessarily the most beautiful girl, but she had the air of a fictional character in a black-and-white photograph; somebody invented and immortalized, but fleeting. There were things that people remembered her for: the fluorescent blue cigarette holder she used, with crystals around the tip (an exercise that took far more time and patience that it deserved); the silver charms on her bracelet. Her mother had bought the bracelet on the day that her first pet died and, every year on the same day, it would gain a charm and her eyes would be tinged with red. Naturally, such superficial things could never define a person, but it was what near-strangers associated with her, so these objects unwittingly became part of her identity.
Their sole respite came when she returned happily to her hometown after finishing her degree, determined to carry on living in what she saw as idyllic tranquillity, far away from the sprawling mess of Manchester and its endless strangers. This, however, did not last long. She brought with her a husband, a man who complemented her with contradictions. It seemed that not a day went by when they were not seen walking hand in hand and talking incessantly, furrowing their brows when topics carried far too many syllables for eavesdroppers to convey to gossips, or simply laughing. All theories on their fast, young marriage were negated when it turned out that she was the wealthier of the two, and her stomach did not swell as time went on.
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About the Author
Valeria Kogan was born in Russia and moved to the UK in 1991, where she developed her love of art and literature.
